Help me design the best attachment for smoothing gravel

[bdog]

Well I started building my smoother.

I had a 4x8 sheet of 3/8 plate bent up on the ends and got the SSQA plate welded in place today.
Now I need to build a frame and some reinforcements for it. Anxious to try it out. If it ends up needing more weight will be easy to fill it with concrete.

 

[Xfaxman]

Interested to see how it works out.

Then you can start a new business making and selling them.

 

[Stomper]

I'm actualy in the process of building something very similar to this which is also very similar to the smudger thing posted earlier.
Land Leveler - YouTube

 

[bdog]

I made a test run today. I just welded a couple of pieces at a 45 from the front lip to the SSQA plate and decided to test it out before I spent too much time welding on it.

It works pretty good. The angle of it on the ground makes a big difference. If it is tipped forward at all it will plow down through the gravel and build up enough that it flows over the top and on to the plate. Seems to work best tipped back ever so slightly. I was hoping to use it in float mode but I think it will need some more weight added for that to work properly. I ran it with a little bit of down pressure and it did exactly what I wanted it to. There is a lot of friction going on at the bottom of the plate and I figured it would get warm but it gets hot! I only ran it 10-15 minutes and the bottom of the plate was so hot water would sizzle on it.

I am going to finish welding some more bracing on it and fill it with concrete and it will be my go to tool for smoothing the gravel.

 

[ddbackhoe]

I made a test run today. I just welded a couple of pieces at a 45 from the front lip to the SSQA plate and decided to test it out before I spent too much time welding on it.

It works pretty good. The angle of it on the ground makes a big difference. If it is tipped forward at all it will plow down through the gravel and build up enough that it flows over the top and on to the plate. Seems to work best tipped back ever so slightly. I was hoping to use it in float mode but I think it will need some more weight added for that to work properly. I ran it with a little bit of down pressure and it did exactly what I wanted it to. There is a lot of friction going on at the bottom of the plate and I figured it would get warm but it gets hot! I only ran it 10-15 minutes and the bottom of the plate was so hot water would sizzle on it.

I am going to finish welding some more bracing on it and fill it with concrete and it will be my go to tool for smoothing the gravel.

before filling, you may consider making it vibrate.....Vibratory Plate Compactor- Skid Steer Vibratory Plate Compactor Attach
Skid Steer Compaction Plate - YouTube

 

[oosik]

bdog - the picture of your parking lot brings back old memories. The Washington State Dept of Fish & Game built a brand new fish hatchery in our home town. The problem was - nobody specified the type of gravel to be used in and around the hatchery. They ended up with two feet deep river rock. It was like two feet of large marbles. It was so bad - everything was getting stuck as they drove into the hatchery. Cars, trucks and planting trucks - stuck in this gravel all over the facility. This was right after WWll - around '50.

Of course - being a government owned and run facility it took them the better part of three months to get this situation corrected. My father was the regional fisheries biologist - I can remember how mad it made him - every time he had to go over to the hatchery. Park the government pickup a quarter mile from the facility and walk the remainder of the way in.

A planting truck loaded with water and small fish would have to be towed around and out of the facility with a big 'ol red tractor. As a young kid - I thought it was rather exciting. During summer vacation I was with my dad every chance I got.